Astonishing results from a huge meta-analysis of more than 1.5 million people revealed an association between energy drinks and suicide. This doesn’t mean energy drinks cause suicide, but it does tell us that there is a link between energy drink consumption and suicide. Let’s unpack the connection between energy drinks and suicide. Is it about…
For decades, neuroscience has shown that depression isn’t just a disorder of mood. Unquestionably, depression is also a disorder of brain structure and function. In particular, we know that depression can lead to shrinkage of the hippocampi in your brain. Now that’s an alarming piece of information! In fact, this is not a new finding.…
Do antidepressants really work? Well, for some people with severe major depressive disorder there are some benefits. However, the less nuanced, and perhaps alarming, answer is no. Antidepressants do not work for the majority of people who use them. Do you suffer from depression? Even more to the point, do you use antidepressants? If so,…
Telomere length predicts lifespan. Now, a new study has shown an association between childhood trauma, shortened telomere length and mental illness such as bipolar mood disorder and schizophrenia. Hmmm… What’s that telling us? DNA Transcription Cell division is essential to life and telomeres are part of that process. Telomeres form protective caps on the end…
A powerful piece of medical dogma is the notion that depression has genetic roots. This is the idea that if your mother suffered from depression, then the chances are that you will too. A closedly associated notion is the “chemical imbalance” in the brain idea. This is the claim that depressed patients do not have…
Does Herpes Virus Cause Mood Disorders? Research published in Frontiers in Microbiology shows remarkable links between herpes virus infection and mood disorders. Dr Bhupesh Prusty and his team conducted post-mortem brain biopsies. They investigated bipolar mood disorder (BMD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia. They also included a control group of patients with no history…
Startling new evidence shows that Hans Asperger, after whom Asperger’s syndrome is named, was a Nazi sympathiser. He referred mentally handicapped children to a clinic where many were eventually killed as part of the Nazi’s programme of racial purity. The evidence is presented in a paper published in April 2018 in the journal Molecular Autism…
